Sticky Wicket
by Yami-Tenshi-Neko
Summary: Amy develops a liking for croquet, and she's quite good at it, too. But when she gets to the big leauges - Tournaments and other competions, can she still balance her friends with her newly found talent? Chapter 4 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the first chapter of Sticky Wicket, by me - YTN ! . I finally got back in the groove and now I'm ready to write! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :)  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to their respected creators.  
  
-----Sticky Wicket, Chapter One-----  
  
It was red.  
  
Really, just red. When you looked at it, that was the first thing that came to mind.  
  
And that's all you can say about it.  
  
There were tiny ridges in the ball, circling it like lines of latitude (or longitude). It was wooden, like all croquet balls are supposed to be, and was quite heavy for its size. It was approximately the size of an orange, but of course, it was red.  
  
Amy focused on this croquet ball, staring at it with her emerald eyes. She concentrated on it, not moving her stare at all. With a yell, she swung the mallet in her hands, sending the croquet ball soaring through the air to the other side of the grassy field.  
  
Surprised at her effot, the pink hedgehog leaned on her mallet and held a hand up to block the sun. She still had those white gloves with gold rings around her wrists. Everything else had changed.  
  
The years had gone by, and Amy had matured. She had detatched herself from the dream of marrying Sonic, just content to be his friend. Her headband became too small, and she didn't bother to replace it. As she grew, Amy went for a change and got rid of the old red dress, claiming it was 'too tacky'. Her friends figured it was still somewhere in the back of her closet. Her quills had grown longer, framing her face and eyes, which were occasionally blocked by her long bangs. Along with the change had gone Amy's old striped boots, replaced with a pair of pink and white sneakers. Deciding to look more casual, Amy had taken to wearing capris and pink tank tops, as she was this hot summer day.  
  
Sighing, she got up and retrieved the petit orb, her mallet over her shoulder much like her Piko Piko Hammer had been years ago. Checking her watch and realizing she had to be going, the hedgehog grabbed her backpack from the side of the feild and stuffed her mallet unceremoniously into the pocket. Its length made it stick out a bit at the top, revealing a bit of polished wooden handle marked with red stripes. She plopped the ball in as well, hearing it clunk a bit as it contacted with the other contents of her backpack. Zippering it up, she slung the bag over her shoulder and headed towards home.  
  
She took the usual route to her apartment in the city, which she shared with Rouge. It was clean and comfortably small, with bedrooms for the two of them as well as a bathroom and kitchen and living room. As Amy entered she could hear the TV softly from another room, and the sounds of cooking from the kitchen.  
  
"I'm back!" she said loudly, slipping off her shoes and placing them next to her backpack on the floor. Entering the kitchen she found her roommate, Rouge the Bat, cooking something on their electric stove in her pajamas.  
  
"Good morning Amy," the bat smiled, turning away from the stove a moment to hand her settings for the table, "I'm making breakfast," she explained, flipping what Amy thought to be eggs in the sizzling frying pan.  
  
"Thanks," Amy set down plates for the two of them, as well as the forks and knives Rouge had handed to her, "I'm hungry after all that practice."  
  
"I still don't understand how you get up so early to go and train," Rouge turned a knob to 'OFF' and set a plate of eggs in the center of the table.  
  
"I have to train," Amy paused to take a mouthful of the scrambled eggs she had recently shoveled onto her plate, "I need to be ready for that tournament!"  
  
"Which is also why you need to eat," Rouge stated, pouring herself and Amy a glass of orange juice. Amy would have argued with that, but her mouth was full and her stomach wasn't.  
  
"What are you planning on doing the rest of today?" Amy asked, taking a sip and then returning to her breakfast.  
  
"I was going to go to the mall later. All of us were going to meet up, remember?" Rouge chewed slowly, watching Amy gulp down her food.  
  
"Oh, right. Around when?"  
  
"Three o'clock."  
  
Amy grimaced. She had to train with an instructor at two, and the lesson usually lasted an hour.  
  
"Do you think you could meet up with me at about three thirty, around the food court? I have to train more," Amy told her.  
  
Rouge nodded, "I understand. I'll tell everyone once I get there," the white bat picked up her dirty plate and set it down in the sink. She left the room, calling over her shoudler, "I'm going to get changed. I wanted to check out that new store before meeting up."  
  
"Okay!" Amy called to her. She finished the last of her orange juice and set her plate in the sink next to Rouge's. She still had several hours to spare before going to her lesson, since it was only nine thirty-five. She decided to take a nap since she had gotten up very early to practice. Flopping onto her bed, Amy curled up and relaxed. She heard Rouge leave faintly, on the border of sleep. Finally she dozed off from the exhaustion of her practice, all that swinging the mallet over and over and running to retrieve the red ball......  
  
The sound of a phone ringing woke Amy from her weary slumber. Picking up the phone in her room, Amy sat up and blinked a few times to regain her conciousness.  
  
"Hello?" she asked, sounding tired in her own ears.  
  
"Hi Amy, it's Tails," the young voice of her fox friend came over the phone line.  
  
"Oh, hello," Amy rubbed her eyes, yawning a bit from just being woken up.  
  
"Are you still going to come to the mall? Rouge said something about you being at lessons when she called me earlier," Tails explained.  
  
"I'm still going to come," Amy pulled on one of her socks while holding the phone between her shoulder and chin. Somehow it had managed to slip off when she was asleep. "I will just be a bit late, that's all."  
  
"All right," Tails said, "We were thinking of seeing a movie."  
  
"That's fine," Amy realized her other sock was missing as well, and began searching for it in the tangled sheets. Not finding it, she dove under the covers herself, digging around in the cloth. It had to be here somewhere.....  
  
"So do you know a movie that you'd like to se-"  
  
"OOMPH!" Amy landed with a thud on her floor, draped in sheets and covers and lying on her stomach.  
  
"Amy? Are you alright?" Tails asked, the phone muffled from within the covers. The pink hedgehog sighed, picking up the sock she had finally found and jamming it on her foot. She pulled up the covers to find the phone, shaking them in hope it would fall out. I did, right on the number pad.  
  
Tails looked at his phone in confusion when a tone reached his ears.

-----

Well, that's chapter one! Nice and long, eh? Please R&R and all that stuff. Expect a new chapter soon! (if people reveiw)  
  
-YTN


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I got a lot of positive feedback on Chapter One, so here is Chapter Two! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, with the exception of Rhaja.  
  
In chapter one:  
  
"Amy? Are you alright?" Tails asked, the phone muffled from within the covers. The pink hedgehog sighed, picking up the sock she had finally found and jamming it on her foot. She pulled up the covers to find the phone, shaking them in hope it would fall out. I did, right on the number pad.  
  
Tails looked at his phone in confusion when a tone reached his ears.  
  
-----Sticky Wicket, Chapter Two-----  
  
Amy frowned and sighed, picking up the phone and repacing it on its stand. She gathered up the mass of tangled sheets and placed them off to the side. She could take care of that later.  
  
The pink hedgehog had been so tired she had slept until noon, when Tails called. Refreshed, Amy made herself lunch and took a quick shower before heading out the door again, her backpack at her side.  
  
The field where Amy had lessons was quite large, about the size of two football fields next to each other. The grass was thick and lush, treated with the best of care. She was tempted to take off her sneakers and let the grass tickle her toes, but it was almost two o'clock. Walking to the side of the feild, Amy plopped her red backpack onto the ground and sat down on the wooden bench next to it. Leaning back, she passed the time by watching the puffy, cotton candy-like clouds float by overhead. There was a light breeze that made her pink hair billow gently, rippling through the grass and giving a fresh scent of dew to the feild.  
  
Presently Amy heard light footsteps, muffled by the carpet of grass. She snapped out of her reverie, looking back out into the field to see her instructor making her way towards where she was sitting.  
  
Rhajano Takashi, Rhaj or Rhaja for short, was a midnight-blue hedgehog and a pro in croquet. Her sapphire eyes matched well with the blue wooden croquet ball she was absentmindedly tossing into the air and catching. Over her shoulder was a bag, half covered by the instructor's long quills. She wore a pair of faded jeans, even in the heat of the summer, and a light blue tank shirt with "C'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est la pomme de terre" stamped across the front. (1) She smiled at Amy as she approached, setting down the bag which was long and semingly heavy.  
  
"Good afternoon," Rhaja said politely. Courtesy played a big role in professional croquet.  
  
"Good afternoon," Amy replied back, standing up and dusting off her capris. Rhaja knelt on the ground next to the bag, unzippering it. She got out nine white metal wickets and two foot-long wooden poles striped with different colors. Handing the poles to Amy, Rhaja led the way onto the field and began to set up. She placed two of the wickets three inches apart, then turned to Amy. "Go ahead and put the stake in, I'm going to set up the rest of the wickets."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," Amy nodded, getting her mallet from her backpack. Four or five inches away from the first wicket she tapped the stake lightly, banging it down into the earth. Once it could stand on its own, Amy grabbed the other stake and headed to the other side of the field, where Rhaja had set up two more wickets, exactly in line with the first two and the stake.  
  
"One here too, please," Rhaja nodded to the new wickets and Amy set out that pole as well. While Amy finished up, the dark blue hedgehog set out the other wickets - one in the center, lined up with the wickets and stakes on either side, two at the quarter mark, far apart enough for the center stake to be between the two when lined up, and two more at the three-quarters mark, parallel to the wickets at the quarter mark. When they were finished, the field now was set up in two joined diamond-shapes with the center wicket the joining place.  
  
"There, all done," Rhaja smiled, "Do you have your mallet and croquet ball?"  
  
"Yes, my ball is in my backpack," Amy pointed to where her backpack was still sitting obediently, "Should I get it out?"  
  
Rhaja nodded. Once Amy had the wooden ball in her hand, Rhaja got her own mallet out of the bag.  
  
"Good. Let's begin."

---

Tails looked at the watch on his wrist. It read three twenty-five.  
  
"She should be here by now," Knuckles frowned with worry.  
  
Rouge sipped at her smoothie, sitting down at one of the plastic tables in the food court where they were waiting. "She's probably fine. Amy did tell me that she would be here by three-thirty." Even though she acted cool, her friends could tell that the white bat was worried as well.  
  
Dashing through the door at a run, a pink hedgehog looked around and spotted her friends. Sighing in relief, she jogged over at a slower pace.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," Amy said, her heart racing from her sprint to the mall. She continued panting until her heart slowed to its normal rate again. The worn-out teenager flopped into the seat beside Rouge, who handed her a smoothie. Amy nodded in thanks and quickly drank half of it, gulping it down to cool down her burning throat.  
  
"Don't choke yourself on that," Knuckles pointed out with a chuckle. Amy's widened and she swallowed, keeping the urge to laugh at bay in fear smoothie would come out of her nose. She set down her drink and smiled, still winded from the run but not as much so as before.  
  
"So, how was pratice?" Sonic asked, speaking for the first time since she arrived.  
  
"Great," Amy twiddled the straw around with her finger, "Rhaja is a great teacher."  
  
"That's great!" Tails grinned, "But we should get going. The movie is going to start in half an hour," he reminded them.  
  
"Yeah, let's go," Rouge stood up and disposed of her empty cup. Amy picked up her backpack, and they headed off to the theater.

---

"So, what movie are we seeing?" Amy asked Rouge once they had their seats. The two of them had agreed to save a spot while the three boys went to get snacks.  
  
"It's called 'Of Love and Lies' (2). I think it's about a spy who falls in love with another spy from the other side, or something like that," Rouge explained.  
  
"Kinda like Romeo and Juliet," Amy propped her elbows up and rested her chin on her hands. "Except with laser guns and large sums of money."  
  
As the lights were dimming, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails entered, carrying sodas and large bags of popcorn. Tails took the seat next to Amy, handing her a drink and a bag of popcorn. Amy said a hushed thanks and turned her eyes to the screen for the movie.

---

Applause shattered the silence of the theater as the credits began scrolling across the screen. Amy clapped as well, she had enjoyed the movie very much. Soon she was filing out of the theater, squashed like everyone else. Next to her Sonic and Knuckles were debating over which action scene was best, and on her other side Rouge and Tails were chatting about the spy gadgets the hero and herione had used throughout the movie.  
  
The evening was relatively quiet in the city when Rouge and Amy returned to their apartment. Once again, the pink hedgehog dropped her bag and slipped out of her shoes. She made a quick dinner of instant ramen for herself, putting it into a bowl and sitting down on the couch to eat it. She thoughtfully chewed on her noodles, taking her time and not really paying attention. It was when Rouge tapped her on the shoulder and told her that she had fallen asleep with the bowl in her lap did she realize how tired she was.  
  
Wearily Amy put her empty bowl in the sink and changed into her pajamas - a pair of shorts and a baggy pink tye-dye tee shirt - brushing her teeth without enthusiasm and finally flopping onto her almost-bare mattress. The tired hedgehog grumbled, pulling the heap of sheets onto the bed and streightening them before lying down again.  
  
She soon drifted to sleep again, her last thought a faint memory of playing croquet. 

-----

Ta-da! There's chapter 2! I think it's even longer than chapter one! There were a few things that need explaining -  
  
(1) "C'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est la pomme de terre." For those who do not speak french, this means "That's life, that's war, that's potatoes." A cute little saying my mother taught me that makes no sense whatsoever.  
  
(2) "Of Love and Lies" is an origional story that I never got around to writing. If I have enough time it will turn into a manga.  
  
That's it for Chapter 2! R&R please, it makes me happy and it makes sure that this story will continue :)  
  
-YTN 


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! So many positive comments, I'll definately be continuing this story =) Enjoy Chater Three!  
  
Disclaimer : Rhaja and Zella belong to me, everyone else is (c) Sega and whatever.  
  
In Chapter Two:  
  
Wearily Amy put her empty bowl in the sink and changed into her pajamas - a pair of shorts and a baggy pink tye-dye tee shirt - brushing her teeth without enthusiasm and finally flopping onto her almost-bare mattress. The tired hedgehog grumbled, pulling the heap of sheets onto the bed and streightening them before lying down again.  
  
She soon drifted to sleep again, her last thought a faint memory of playing croquet.  
  
-----Sticky Wicket, Chapter Three-----  
  
Amy smiled. It was such a beautiful day. White wisps of cloud floated by on the light summer breeze, making the grass tickle her bare feet. The sun's warmth felt good on her face, and Amy found herself closing her eyes to enjoy it. Sonic and Tails were playing a game of frisbee in the grass nearby, and Knuckles and Rouge were setting up a pick-nick lunch. Shadow was leaning against a tree, high up in the shady branches, with his eyes closed. Cream and Cheese were playing in the patch of flowers. And she, Amy, was sitting down in the middle of the field, doing nothing in particular.  
  
"Hey, Amy!" Rouge called, "We were thinking of playing a game. Wanna join?"  
  
Amy rose, brushing stray blades of grass off her red skirt, "What kind of game?" She strode over to where everyone had gathered near the blanket.  
  
"We can't decide," Tails explained, "What are our choices?"  
  
"We could play frisbee," suggested Knuckles. Sonic and Tails glanced at each other.  
  
"We've already done that."  
  
"How about tag or hide-and-go-seek?" Cream spoke up.  
  
"No, I think we were thinking of a more official game," Rouge said.  
  
"What about croquet?" Cream tried.  
  
"Croquet," Knuckles thought aloud, "That sounds like a good idea."  
  
They spent the next fifteen minutes setting up the field, placing out wickets and pounding the colorfully-striped stakes into the ground.  
  
"I get blue!" Sonic grinned, snatching up the blue ball.  
  
"I'll take red!" Amy grabbed that one.  
  
"Hey!" Knuckles whined, "I was going to take that!"  
  
"Take green, then," Rouge tossed him the ball, which he caught, "I'm taking black."  
  
"I'll have yellow, then," Tails looked at the banana-colored ball in his hand, tossing it up and down a few times.  
  
"We'll take orange," Cream smiled. "Chao Chao!" Cheese confirmed.  
  
"What about Shadow?" Knuckles asked. The hedgehog looked down at him, out of the corner of his ruby-colored eyes.  
  
"Yeah, there aren't any colors left," pointed out Amy.  
  
"I'll be the referee then," Shadow jumped out of the tree, "Blue is first."

-----

"Huh?"  
  
Amy opened her eyes halfway, meeting the sight of her alarm clock, which read ten forty-two. She sat up in her bed, running her fingers through her messy pink quills.  
  
"It was just a memory," she sighed. Pulling off the covers, she hopped onto the carpeted floor, which was cold for the summer it was.  
  
Amy yelped. "Rouge must've forgotten to turn off the air conditioning last night." She shivered, grabbing a crimson sweater and pulling it over her tee-shirt. She quietly made her way to the kitchen, gasping when her bare feet met the cold tile floor. Hurridly she made her way to the living room, where she turned off the still working AC. She rubbed her arms and fingers, feeling the warmth returning to them.  
  
The pink hedgehog returned to the kitchen, making herself a cup of hot chocolate, even though it was the middle of the summer. She sipped it slowly, welcoming the feeling of the warm liquid rushing down her throat and settling into her stomach.  
  
A flashing red light caught her eye, and Amy realized it was the answering machine. Leaving her warm mug still half-full, she got up and pressed the play button before sitting back down.  
  
"Hi Amy, it's Rouge. Sorry you weren't awake when I left, I didn't want to wake you up just to tell you I'm going to work. I have the morning shift, so will you meet me at Zella's for lunch? Call me if you can't. See you there!"  
  
Amy sighed, realizing that she would be alone for a few hours. She would spend what little time she had relaxing before she met up with Rouge.  
  
"Hi, Amy, this is Rhaja. I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job at your lesson yesterday."  
  
Amy smiled, listening while sipping her drink.  
  
"Also, in the Annual Croquet Cup this weekend, my main player had an accident. Poor guy, he broke his arm. That means there's an empty spot on my list for the tournament. I'd be happy if you'd take the spot. If you don't want it that's fine, I have other students that can fill in. But I'm offering to you first because you have a great potential. Please call me, either way. You have my number. Thanks."  
  
Amy stared at the little machine on the counter. Had it just said...  
  
"Wait!" Of course, the machine was already done playing the message. Amy scrambled out of her chair and grabbed the phone. In her rush, she dropped it on the floor, making a loud, plastic-meets-ceramic sound. She plucked it off the floor and dialed Rhaja's number furiously.  
  
Amy's heart raced as the phone rang. On the third ring her instructor picked up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Err, good morning Rhaja," Amy stammered. While she was worried and scrambling for the phone, she hadn't thought about what she was going to say.  
  
"Oh, good morning Amy," the dark blue hedgehog smiled on her end of the phone.  
  
"Yes, well, I'd like that spot in the tournament. I mean, please ! Err, that is, if it's still open..." Amy stuttered nervously.  
  
Rhaja chuckled, "It's still open, Amy, and you can have the spot," Amy sighed in relief, "I had a feeling you would, so you're already all signed up. But, you still should have more practice before the tournament this weekend," Rhaja continued, "So we'll have to practice every day."  
  
Amy nodded, then realized that Rhaja couldn't see her, "Yes ma'am, that's fine."  
  
"Great. See you today at two o'clock sharp."  
  
"Yes, and thank you!"  
  
"Thank you to you, as well. Have a good morning!"  
  
Amy sighed as she hung up. She was going to be in an official tournament! The pink hedgehog couldn't wait to tell her friends the news.  
  
"Rouge will be really excited once she hears this!" Amy smiled, talking to no one in particular. 

"Hears what?" Amy whirled around to find Sonic standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey Sonic," Amy smiled, "That I've been entered into a croquet tournament this weekend."

"That's great!" Sonic gave her the thumbs up.

"Thanks," Amy tucked a few stray quills behind her ears, "Say, what're you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," Sonic explained with a shrug, "You seem really exhausted lately."

"Yeah," Amy sighed, "I've been busy. And it seems things are going to get even busier with the extra practices and all..."

"Extra practices?" the blue hedgehog repeated.

"Uh-huh," Amy played with a loose string on the edge of the sweater, "Rhaja's going to have me play every day, to get ready for the tournament."

"Don't worry about it. We'll be there to cheer you on," Sonic smiled.

"Really?" Amy asked, "You'd come and watch?"

"Sure. I think that everyone would be interested in watching you play."

"That would be great," Amy's face radiated joy, "It really means a lot to me."

"Well, see you around!" Sonic turned and headed for the door.

"Bye!" Amy waved, even though he was out the door already. She stole a glance at the clock hanging from the wall.

"Wow, it's eleven already?" Amy gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate, which had cooled down quite a bit during her distractions. Because she was meeting Rouge for lunch, she had a slice of toast with butter for breakfast. It seemed as if she had barely enough time to change out of her pajamas and brush out her quills before she had to leave. The pink hedgehog snatched her backpack on her way out the door, heading for Zella's Cafe, which was a few blocks away.

Zella's Cafe was a small local resturant on a corner of a large intersection. It was owned and managed by Zella, a young red fox with a knack for cooking. Today it seemed that she had been busy baking, the whole block smelled of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and Zella's famous double carmel fudge brownies.

The white bat was sitting at one of the outdoor tables of the Cafe, waiting for Amy to arrive. Rouge worked at a newspaper, writing the "Dear Noir" column (Noir being her pen-name) in the weekend editions, as well as information scoops during the rest of the week. Being an ex-spy really came in handy when she was researching the latest scandal.

Rouge looked up when Amy came into sight, walking quickly down the sidewalk and sitting down in the seat across from her.

"How was sleeping in late?" Rouge inquired, knowing her friend's love of sleep.

"Great! But you won't believe what happened!" Amy gushed. The white bat raised her eyebrows and motioned for her to continue.

"Rhaja called and said that I get to be in the tournament this weekend!' Amy said, her features filled with excitement.

"Really?" Rouge's eyes widened somewhat, "That's wonderful!"

"Apparently, one of Rhaja's main players broke an arm, so there was an empty spot," Amy explained.

"That's too bad. I don't think you can play croquet with a broken arm," Rouge said thoughfully.

Amy shook her head, "It would be hard! Anyways, I have to get going before two. Rhaja said in preparation I have to practice every day!"

"All right then," Rouge chuckled, "We should order then."

"Did someone over here say 'order'?" Zella asked, striding up to there table and leaning on it casually, pen and notepad in hand. The two girls came in frequently for lunch, and they had become friends with the red fox. Zella wore her trademark black apron over her gray tee-shirt and jeans.

"Hello Zella," Amy smiled, "It's good to see you!"

"Good to see you too, Amy. You haven't been around here in a while. So, what can I get you two?"

Rouge and Amy placed their orders and Zella headed back into the Cafe, shouting instructions to the chefs in the back. Although she did cook, Zella worked the tables sometimes, mostly on the week days, when lunch was the busiest time.

"So, what else is there to know about this tournament?" Rouge asked.

"It's called the Annual Croquet Cup," explained Amy, "It's a once-a-year tournament for top croquet players. Rhaja was telling me about it the other day, and it sounds really high-class. Competitors get photo IDs' for the tournament."

"Wow. Sounds like it's gonna be challenging," Rouge sipped at her soda, which Zella had brought over previously.

"It will be great," Amy sighed, "I can't wait!"

At that moment Zella came over to deliver their dishes. Both had gotten salads, because Amy needed to "watch what she ate" before the tournament and Rouge wanted to "work on her figure". They chatted aimiably while crunching on crutons and grazing on other greens. By one-thirty, when they had finished their dessert and split the bill, it was time for Amy to head to practice.

-----

Thanks everyone for being a great audience! It makes me happy to know people are enjoying my story .

amyR90 -

thanks! I'm glad you like it. And, well, I'm not saying anything about the pairings yet . ;)

Ayla Skyrider -

thanks for the tip! I've fixed that up, it should be all better now :)

Silhouette the Hedgehog -

thanks! I'll be updating a lot, don't worry . I like the title too (of course, it's my story) It fits well, I think.

Kryptic the Fox -

Wow, thanks a lot! Of course, there isn't much plot yet, but that will change soon.... and thanks again! :)

xoxoxPerfect By Naturexoxox -

Really? Wow, I didn't know SW was so popular! thanks! :)

I really enjoy getting reviews. It makes me happy. And when I'm happy, I write. And when I write you get another chapter, which you can review to start the cycle all over again . :P

Next chapter will be when I get at least 13 reviews. Enjoy :D

-YTN


	4. Chapter 4

Whee, Sticky Wicket made it to 13 reviews. - Okay, here's your chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own none of the Sega/Sonic Team characters, but any other characters not seen in the games/anime belong to moi.

In Chapter Three:

At that moment Zella came over to deliver their dishes. Both had gotten salads, because Amy needed to "watch what she ate" before the tournament and Rouge wanted to "work on her figure". They chatted amiably while crunching on croûtons and grazing on other greens. By one-thirty, when they had finished their dessert and split the bill, it was time for Amy to head to practice.

-----Sticky Wicket, Chapter Four-----

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

As quietly as she could, Amy plodded up the stairs to her shared apartment. By some strange stroke of luck (or un-luck) the elevator had shut down, stopping halfway between the bottom two floors. So, for today at least, Amy would have to use the stairs.

Or, rather, tonight.

It was Friday. Usually it was a celebration day for Amy and Rouge, the end of another tiring week and a day to look forward to sleeping in and relaxing on Saturday. But not this Friday.

After four rough days of training for hours with Rhaja (Amy was informed of the tournament on a Monday) the pink hedgehog was exhausted and spent. Her schedule went mostly along the lines of sleep, wake up early for a jog around the city park, eat a healthy breakfast of cereal and sometimes eggs, take a quick shower and then eating a green-based lunch before hurrying off to practice. When she was through, she would trudge home, falling asleep as she got ready for bed.

Amy shifted the weight of her backpack so it was more comfortable for climbing stairs. Next time she got an apartment, she told herself, it would be on the second floor. Not the sixth.

The equipment rattled as her thudding footsteps made her weary frame shudder, her croquet ball and mallet clinking softly against spare wickets.

After what seemed like climbing for hours (even though it had, in truth, been no more than five minutes) Amy reached the landing for the sixth floor. The fire escape door clunked with a metallic thud as it closed behind her.

Sighing, Amy reached the door. For some reason she paused before she went in, hand hovering over the well-used knob in a moment of silence. The pink hedgehog shook her head, snapping out of her reverie. The door opened smoothly, shedding the dim light of the hallway onto the gray-blue floor. Amy opened the door wider to let more light in, the lights of the room were off and Amy couldn't see.

Careful to not make a sound, she took the backpack off of her back and set it on the floor next to the door. Then, she slipped off her grass and dirt-spotted pink sneakers and set them next to the bag. Finally able to stand again, Amy felt for the light switch on the wall and closed the door behind her. There was a momentary blackness that devoured the room, but the light snapped on quickly and brought the room to life.

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices shouted. Amy stared wide-eyed as her friends popped out from behind the couch, the chairs, from under the table - anywhere that they could fit they had.

"Wh-what's this?" Amy stuttered, teetering in her sock-donned feet from the surprise.

"We got together and decided we should do something for you," Tails explained, leaning on the table he had been under.

"Yeah," Knuckles smiled, "You've been working really hard lately, and we thought it would be a good idea if-"

"We?" Rouge raised her eyebrows, "It was originally my idea. But, Amy, we wanted to show you that we'll be there supporting you through this, and that we're still proud for you whether or not you do well in this tournament." The bat came over and put a hand on Amy's shoulder, grinning in a pleased way at the hedgehog's astonished expression. The shorter girl finally gathered her wits and bent her head down, her long pink quills covering her eyes.

"Huh?" Tails' eyes widened as something made a soft _pthah_ sound as it collided with the carpet. Glistening tears fell from Amy's bowed head, sparkling in the lights before they hit the floor.

"A-Are you okay?" Sonic came to stand by Rouge, his expression that of worry for the pink hedgehog.

Amy sniffed and lifted her head, her pink bangs slightly damp and sticking to the sides of her face. She gave a shaky smile through her tears and managed to choke them down for long enough to say, "Thank you so much," before turning to cry into Rouge's shoulder. The bat looked stunned, but smiled gently and patted her on the back.

When most of the tears had gone, Amy once again faced her friends. She wiped her nose and rubbed at the trails the tears had left on her cheeks.

"Thank you all so much," she said, her breath coming shakily from her sobbing before, "This really means a lot to me."

"Don't worry about it," Sonic's gaze softened, smiling at the emotional teen and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, we have ice cream. You should celebrate!" Amy nodded and let Sonic guide her into the kitchen.

The ceiling fan had been draped with decorations, a canopy of thin paper streamers spreading out to all the corners of the room. A colorful tablecloth with a pattern of balloons was draped across the table. In the center was a sphere-shaped red balloon weighed down by a large square ice cream cake. Around the edges was a design of pink and red roses and green leaves, and a picture of icing depicted a mallet and croquet ball with a wicket. Across the top in blue frosting was written, " Good Luck Amy!" And then the signatures of all her friends, in icing too, of course. Directly under the blue writing was a dark red signature, neat and skilled as if practiced. Two orange ones, side by side, were written vertically - one was in bubble letters and the other was in print. In the center and off to one side was a red signature, but it was blurred and scrawled so terribly it was mostly a pink blotch. There was also a dark blue signature, and a crimson one to the other side. At the bottom were two signatures that were quite alike - one in black, one in blue. Both were written in cursive and readable, but at first glance they looked like scribbles.

"It's chocolate," Tails piped up, removing Amy from her thoughts and reading the cake.

"It's wonderful," Amy smiled, rereading the cake once again.

"Not everyone could be here," Rouge explained, "But they were able to sign the cake."

"C'mon, let's eat!" Knuckles grabbed one of the paper plates from the stack and also the cake knife that had been placed next to the cake.

"Hold on, I want to take a picture first!" Amy darted out of the kitchen to her room, returning in moments with a camera in her hands. After snapping several shots of the cake and her friends, Rouge cut it and doled out the pieces.

After she had received a piece, Amy sat down on one of the chairs and chewed thoughtfully. The cake was indeed chocolate, although the frosting on top was white. It had a layer of chocolate ice cream under the icing, then a layer of crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs and under that another layer of chocolate.

"This is great," Amy managed to say through a large mouthful.

"Zella made it for us while you were busy, and today we all managed to get over there and sign it at different times," Knuckles explained.

"Yeah, it looks like everyone's signature was there," Amy smiled. When she finished Rouge took her plate and put it in the sink. For the next hour they sat around the table asking questions and talking about the next day anxiously.

Finally at nine o'clock Rouge looked at the clock on the kitchen wall.

"Well, you guys better get going. Amy, you need to get to bed. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow," the white bat lectured.

Amy stifled a yawn, "Fine by me. Good night!" she called as her friends walked through the door, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Calling phrases of good luck and good night, the party left, leaving the two friends alone in their apartment again. With a sigh Rouge began cleaning up the mess, setting dishes in the sink and throwing away napkins and plastic knives and forks. She brushed a stray piece of her snow-colored hair out of her eyes.

"You should get going to bed," she said, not looking up from her task, "Hurry up, you need your rest!" A slight tone of annoyance hinted her voice, in a more motherly way, like when a parent continuously reminds their child to go to bed, who reluctantly, after the seventh time, does so.

With a nod the weary pink hedgehog followed the bat's instructions, busying herself with getting ready for bed, but not rushing to challenge the clock. Seemingly lethargic, she dragged herself about in a sluggish manner, finally flopping into bed.

Several minutes went by, and Amy hadn't moved from the spot she landed. Sighing, she rolled over, crawling up a bit to rest her head on her pillow.

She cracked an eye open, looking at the red digits on her alarm clock.

It read 9: 28.

Amy groaned audibly and flipped over onto her stomach, her arms around her pillow and her head on top of it. She closed her eyes again, breathing deeply.

A minute later she sat up, frowned at the pillow, shook it a few times, and flopped onto it again.

This was going to be a long night.

----------

The sudden sound of the loud, frequent beeps of her alarm clock woke Amy from her dreamless sleep. She sat up and smacked it as fast as her body would let her. It silenced, and once again the quiet was restored.

With a sigh the pink hedgehog ran her fingers through her slightly-tangled quills. Looking at the clock, Amy realized it was still quite early, she had plenty of time.

But then it hit her.

Today is the day!

A wave of excitement passed over her, but the feeling was soon replaced by a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. She smiled a bit, feeling more energetic. With a muffled thump her feet hit the floor, and Amy bounced off the bed and walked out of her room.

As she practically skipped down the hallway, the delectable scent of cooking food wafted through the air. Turning the corner to the kitchen, Amy found Rouge at the stove, tending to the frying pan, and Rhaja, tipping her chair backwards with her hands behind her head, resting. At the sound of Amy's entrance her trainer looked up and politely sat up straight.

"Oh, good morning Rhaja!" Amy said with a smile and a wave.

"Good morning," Rhaja motioned for Amy to take the seat across from her, which she did, "Did you sleep well?"

Amy yawned a bit, "Yeah, I was fine. Took me a while to get to sleep, I was kinda nervous," she explained.

"Was?" Rhaja eyed her with a smile.

Amy laughed, "Okay, I'm still nervous!"

Rouge chuckled, bringing over a plate of eggs ("You need protein!" Rhaja had always told her.) and toast for the two hedgehogs. Rhaja brushed a stray dark blue quill out of her eyes and served herself a healthy helping. Pulling up a chair, Rouge joined them at the table.

"There's no need to be nervous," the bat said calmly, "You'll do fine."

"Today is the preliminaries," Rhaja explained, "The elimination rounds are tomorrow. The judges and officials are just going to watch today's games and put all the players into classes. Then, tomorrow each class will have a number of rounds that will eliminate all but the top six in each class."

"Ohh," Amy said thoughtfully, tapping her fork against her chin, "So then the last day is the finals to determine the champions of each category."

"Exactly," Rhaja pushed out her chair and got up, placing her plate in the sink, "Almost done, Amy? We need to get working, we have to be at the stadium in two hours."

'Two hours?" Amy asked, confused, "But that's not for a while."

Rhaja smiled, "We're running." Seeing the expression on the pink hedgehog's face, she laughed, "Besides, we need to get there early to sign you in!"

"Okay," Amy put her dish in the sink and went to change. Minutes later she emerged from her room, with neat clothes and brushed quills. She put on and hastily tied her sneakers, putting on her backpack and meeting her instructor by the door.

Rhaja checked her watch, "Good, we have a lot of time. But doesn't mean we're going any slower."

Amy nodded, "Got it."

Rhaja nodded and in a split second she was off, dashing down the hallway at a fast jog. Amy sprinted to catch up with her, her shoes clunking down the hall as she raced to keep up.

The blue hedgehog ahead oh her skidded to a stop before the stairwell, waiting for a brief moment before pushing open the door. Amy braced herself and rammed into the door, keeping it from closing and opening it more at the same time. Rhaja was already on the first landing down, halfway between the 5th and 6th floors.

Like lightning, Amy's feet lightly bounced down the stairs, her heart racing. She leaned forward when she got to the landing, gathering speed as she jumped down the stairs two at a time.

Landing, she saw Rhaja smiling at her from a few feet away. "Good so far," she said with a smile, "But let's get going!" Her instructor dashed again, jumping onto the railing in the middle to skid down it quickly like a skateboarder. Amy ran down the stairs, only a step behind the dark blue hedgehog.

The two trained hedgehogs raced their way down the remaining stairs, their hair (though Rhaja's was considerably longer) blowing out behind them in their rush. Finally they burst out the doors to the city streets, where Rhaja lead the way at a jogging pace.

They went at a steady pace, comfortably but still pressed for time. Soon enough they had passed Zella's Cafe, where the red fox had waved them good morning from the kitchen's window.

After half an hour of a jog across the city, the stadium loomed ahead. It was actually three stadiums; one larger one and two smaller ones on the side. Usually they were used for major sports, such as football and soccer, but the tournament committee had rented the complex for the weekend.

The highest dome stood out like a mountain in the city's heart, the two smaller ones flanking it on either side. Made of supporting steel beams and glass windows, the largest dome was extravagantly built.

As they neared the massive arena, Rhaja slowed down to a walk. The sky was clear and cloudless, with the sun warming their shoulders. A great day to play croquet, in Amy's opinion.

"Wow..." Amy grinned, looking at the stadium with awe, "That's where I'll be playing?"

"Maybe," Rhaja said with a shrug, "We'll have to go to registration to find out. They have the schedule for today's matches."

"Okay!" Amy followed Rhaja into the lobby of the biggest stadium, where tables had been set up and staff had started the registration. The pink hedgehog was surprised to see how many people had came. The lines were somewhat long, with players and their parents or friends or instructors. Rhaja motioned for Amy to join her in the line, so she stood by her instructor's side as they waited. After quite a few minutes, Amy sighed, bored.

"Hey," said Rhaja calmly. Amy looked up, "See that guy over there?" She pointed to an echidna, white in color, with orange horizontal stripes across his dreadlocks. He was wearing a pair of baggy cargo pants, hardly what you would wear to a croquet tournament, but a mallet was in his hands and an orange ball sticking out of one pocket. His eyes were an emerald green to rival Amy's, and he had a multitude of chains and a spiky bracelet on.

"The one that looks like he should be in a punk rock band?" Amy said with a smile.

"Yeah. That's Kumar, a friend of mine. Great croquet player. And an awesome guitarist, too," Rhaja smirked, "And see the rabbit over there? She was a fellow coach of mine, we went to the same school, but she was a year older than me. And that cat? She's a champ! Makes good pizza too, I hear..." The minutes flew by as Rhaja pointed out old friends, colleagues and stars to Amy. The line got shorter as they neared the front of the line, not really paying attention, to immersed in looking for faces of students and champions.

As Rhaja was telling Amy about a croquet tournament that had been several years back, the pink hedgehog noticed that there was only one person in front of them. She tapped Rhaja on the shoulder, who immediately turned around with a questioning look.

"Oh!" she smiled, "Almost there, eh?"

Amy nodded, falling into step behind Rhaja as the blue hedgehog walked forward to the desk.

"Name?" the green hedgehog behind the desk asked the two, tapping the pen in her hand against her cheek.

"Rhajano Takashi," Rhaja said with confidence (as one should have with one's name). The woman looked at Amy, expecting her to name herself as well.

"Oh!" Amy said, slightly surprised, "I'm Amy Rose."

Checking through a list, the green hedgehog checked off their names.

"I'll need identification," she told them, putting the list aside and taking out a form, one for each of them.

The blue hedgehog fished into her pocket and pulled out her license, which the green hedgehog verified after a few seconds of copying down information. Amy had to give her the bus pass she used when she visited her friends on the other end of town, not having any other identification.

"You're all set!" the woman handed each of them a plastic card, "These are your ID badges, all your information is stored on them," she explained, "Over there is where you have to get your pictures taken, which they will scan onto the surface along with everything else."

Rhaja rolled her eyes, "I never liked that."

"Well, Miss Takashi," the green hedgehog said with a smile, "As a trained professional you should know that it's standard security policies."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before," Rhaja said with a wave of her hand. "Come on, Amy, let's get this over with."

"Miss Rose," the green hedgehog said before Rhaja could drag her off, "Here is your ticket and number," she handed Amy a small plastic chip with the number '493' engraved on it, "That's so you'll know when your first match is."

"Thank you!" Amy called over her shoulder, an impatient instructor dragging her over to the line to take pictures.

"I thought you said you had everything all set," Amy said with a small smile.

Rhaja made a face, "I did," she said, waving her hand, "Besides, you heard the lady. We always have to do this stuff. I just got all the papers signed and stuff. We still have to take the pictures," Rhaja looked at the person in front of them, who had just gotten in place for their picture to be taken

"If you say so," Amy said with a shrug. Soon enough they were next, with Rhaja first (because Amy had said that she was 'nervous' about it and wanted Rhaja to go first, which reluctantly she did). The dark blue hedgehog just stood there, emotionless.

"Rha-jaaa," Amy groaned, "At least look ALIVE!"

"Fine, fine," the instructor grumbled, and smirked at the camera, just to be silly. To her surprise the camera clicked and flashed, sending sparks into her vision.

"Ah! Wait! I-"

"Sorry, Miss Takashi," the echidna taking the pictures said, "But we have a long line we have to keep moving. Next!"

Rhaja groaned as she was handed her ID back, with, in color, her picture in the top corner. Amy giggled, coming up to her with her own ID that had just been finished.

"Nice picture," she said with a laugh. Rhaja tried not to smile, but didn't succeed.

"C'mon...your division doesn't start for a while, let's go watch a match," Rhaja grinned, grabbing Amy's arm and walking toward the entrance to the stadium.

-----

Heh...sorry for the really really REALLY long wait for this chapter. Things have really gotten busy for me, and I ended up doing about 5 paragraphs a week.....Well, this chapter is very long!

See if you can match up the signatures with who they are!

I've decided that I'll start working on the next chapter right away, but I'll only post it after....18...maybe 20 reviews. Just to give me some time to work on it. Again, sorry for the wait, see you next chapter!

-YTN


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